


feelings came from nothing (but i cannot move on)

by flustraaa



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Best friends Magnus and Alec, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Future Harvard student, Gen, Happy Ending, M/M, OR IS IT, Oblivious Alec, Oblivious Magnus Bane, SO MUCH FLUFF, Unrequited Love, childhood sweethearts kinda, future english undergrad Alec, highschool graduation au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-07-09 15:48:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19890364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flustraaa/pseuds/flustraaa
Summary: oh, how dare he? stealing magnus’ thunder like that? who is gonna tell alec that magnus was supposed to be the romantic one.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> in honour of my best friend’s graduation party :,)

“Alexander?” Magnus asks softly, taking Alec’s arm upon seeing his floundering looks— he’s being interrogated by a side of the family wearing mass amounts of crosses for jewellery and Magnus would be surprised if a crucifix is pulled from one of the women’s handbags, “Can I borrow you? I have a question.” 

Alec nods, excusing himself politely, to which he’d send admiring looks from the extended family members. Once he finds it acceptably, he quickly follows Magnus in suit out to the dock of the pond in his back yard. 

Calls of cousins and laughs of friends and family lie in the wake, silenced by seclusion. 

Alec slips off his dress shoes and socks, sipping his feet into the cool water beneath, murmuring questioningly, “What’s up?” 

“Oh, nothing,” Magnus says complacently, lips quirking into a smile at Alec’s snort, “Just wanted to save you from joining a _second_ church.”

Alec rolls his eyes, before replying back a gentle, “Thanks, Mags.” 

They sit in silence for a long moment, before the turning of the cogs in Alec’s head grows too loud for Magnus to bear. 

“What’s wrong?” He queries, turning his head to look at his best friend. 

“Oh, nothing. I know how it looked, but my family is actually becoming more accepting of the whole not being straight thing. Isabelle’s been rather outspoken about accepting people since she..... _found out_ ,” Alec mumbles, picking at the edge of his glass, “I mean, they still don’t know so there’s _that_. But I— I don’t feel like I’ll be disowned anymore. Especially since dad left and got eloped with Anne-Marie.” 

Magnus nods thoughtfully, running a soothing hand over Alec’s shoulder as they lapse back into silence. 

“I just want you to know how lucky I am to be one of the people who know,” Magnus assures Alec, squeezing his hand softly, “And that I love you no matter what you decide to do. Whether you tell anyone else or not.” 

“Thank you, Mags,” Alec breathes, and his voice is so full of relief it makes Magnus want to cry. 

“And I...” Magnus trails off, unsure of how to continue, “I actually wanted you to be the first to know. I made it into Harvard.” 

It’s within the last five words that Alec jolts, whipping around to look at Magnus, “Oh my God, Magnus, that’s amazing.” 

He pulls the shorter boy into a hug, holding him close for a few long moments that Magnus absolutely relishes in. 

“I’m so proud of you,” He breaths against Magnus neck, “Oh— this is your dream, I’m so proud.” 

Magnus nods into Alec’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around his best friends torso, “We’re gonna go to college together.” 

“We’re gonna go to college together,” Alec repeats, a beaming smile on his lips as he nods enthusiastically. 

And then they’re hugging... on a dock... in private, and Magnus is so very close to blurting out the only secret he’s ever kept from his best friend. 

“I need to tell you something.” and Alec’s eyes are so wide and curious—

But then Isabelle crashes their little party, and Alec makes Magnus promise to tell him when the party absolves into just the friend group. 

Once they’re all settled in the once-basement-now-theatre of the Lightwood‘ home, friends around and booing at the screen with popcorn flying through the air. 

Alec is sitting beside him in sweatpants and a Harvard hoodie, head on Magnus shoulder as his friends talk. 

“Hey English Major,” Maia calls, clearly teasing him playfully, “I dare you to recite some poetry to the hottest person in the room.” 

Alec, who like the rest of them, is very tipsy, obliges immediately, instilling both shock and concern into their hearts. 

The said boy— who hates attention, Magnus would like to add— rises to his feet, stumbling to the base of the room. He hats, holding up an index finger on each hand, weighing them sloppily to ensure he has their attention before he begins to speak. 

“ _Let me not to the marriage of true minds_

_Admit impediments. Love is not love_

_Which alters when it alteration finds,_

_Or bends with the remover to remove._

_O no! it is an ever-fixed mark_ ,” He pauses to intake a breath, walking around the room and it’s in that moment Magnus can see the closeted nerd in Alec appear for a moment in the— well, dark

He continues on, meeting Magnus gaze, “ _That looks on tempests and is never shaken;_

_It is the star to every wand'ring bark,_

_Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken_.” 

Magnus can’t breathe— and for a moment he fears what will happen next. Alec inches closer, and Magnus finally comes back to his senses, realising that he— to Alec, is the hottest one in the room.

“ _Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks_

_Within his bending sickle's compass come;_

_Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,_

_But bears it out even to the edge of doom._

_If this be error and upon me prov'd,_

_I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd_ ,” His voice drops to a whisper as he settles down on Magnus’ lap, a shit eating grin on his lips. 

Magnus discerns, then and there, that Alec is not tipsy, but completely sloshed. Soon after, dawns the realisation that Alec, is in fact, about to kiss Magnus. 

He’s broken away when Simon claps— rather aggressively, Magnus may add, soon followed by everyone else. He can see that from the way Jace and Isabelle glare at Magnus that it’s only to stop Alec from kissing him while inebriated— though he’s practically outed himself already.

The noise around them seems to bring Alec back down to earth, though he’s clearly lacking any and all forms of sobriety still. He lets out a giggle, sinking back down in his seat besides Magnus, returning his head to Magnus’ shoulder.

Everyone reluctantly begins to chatter again, and Magnus is almost certain his best friend has fallen asleep, until he pipes up. 

Magnus startles, turning to his what could’ve been, “What was that darling?” 

“I meant it,” He mumbles, shuffling to a more comfortable position for slumber and pulls Magnus down with him, adding in lieu of an explanation, “The sonnet.” 

“You mean _Shakespeare’s_ words?” Magnus pesters, carding a hand through raven locks. 

Alec blinks his eyes open, cracking an amused smile, “No. That I love you. I do. You’re not just a pretty face.” 

Magnus’ blood runs cold, but before he can even manage to form a stutter of a response, Alec has dropped off into a drunken slumber. 

And Magnus realises, maybe Alec isn’t a _what could’ve been._

Maybe he’s a _from now until the end._


	2. Chapter 2

When Magnus wakes, the lights are still off and his friends’ drunken snores still fill the room. A sleepy huff escapes his lips as he rolls over, only to jump when he rams his head against a rather warm and solid surface. 

“ _Ouch_ ,” Alec mumbles sardonically, sucking in a breath as he shoves his face into the arm rest of the couch. 

All of the bubbly Alec he lets out when drunk has faded— now bringing to what has been deemed, ‘ _morning Alexander_ ’, and Magnus has a sneaking suspicion that his best friend doesn’t remember any of the shenanigans that had taken place the night before. 

Specifically, the one where Alec almost kissed him— _on the lips._

Magnus glances up towards the general direction of his best friend’s (or _from now until the end_?) face. It appears as though the raven haired graduate is slipping off again, mouth fully open and cheek smashed against the gray cushion. 

Magnus snorts when he spots the tell-tale sign of Alec’s drunk sleep, a line of drool crusting his cheek and his arm dangling precariously of the edge of the seat. 

“Alexander,” Magnus coos, reaching up to tickle his best friend’s rib cage, “Wake up, I want food and your mother hates me.” 

Alec’s response— though seemingly dead asleep— is immediate. He first grasps Magnus’ wrist, stilling it as he grumbles our, “Stop. I’m ticklish— and you know my mom loves you, shut up.” 

Secondly, his cerulean eyes peak open, dilating when they land on Magnus. 

Finally, a sleepy smile finds its way onto his face— before grimacing as he moves to check the time— instead meeting the light in the corner of the room with a wince. 

“Did I get drunk?” He groans, throwing an arm over his eyes as he sinks down into the cushion. 

“Yeah— um, about that,” Magnus starts nervously, and he feels Alec’s body turn ridged beneath him, “Something happened.” 

“Oh By the Angel,” He whines, “How _bad_ was it?” 

“It wasn’t bad, per se,” Magnus assures, voice barely above a whisper, “You recited Sonnet one-sixteen, and sat on my lap....” 

Magnus trails off, picking at his nail polish, unsure of how to go one but Alec beats him to the punch, “What _aren’t_ you telling _me_?”

“You almost kissed me,” Magnus forces out, watching carefully as Alec presses himself flat against the back of the couch, looking anywhere but his best friend. 

_He’s scared to touch me_ , Magnus thinks, whilst another voice wails out, _do!! something!!_

“Do you remember that thing I had to tell you yesterday?” Magnus queries abruptly, conscious of the fact that Alec is about to dart away, “Can I tell you _now_?” 

Alec doesn’t even have to think, settling down in the cushions— though it seems to be against his better judgement, “You can _always_ tell me _anything_. You know that.” 

Magnus nods, wrapping a hand around Alec’s, prior to squeezing reassuringly, “First of all, I need you to know, that I don’t care about the kiss. _Nothing_ would’ve changed even if you had kissed me unless you _wanted_ _anything_ to _change_.” 

Alec nods, sinking into the cushion, and Magnus pushes onwards, “And I was going to tell you that I’ve been in love with you since we were in fourth grade— I’ve just, never had the best parental figures in terms of marriages— and I didn’t think that... we head a chance.” 

“But now we’re going to be roommates—“ Alec starts. 

And Magnus grins, “ _And they were roommates_.” 

Alec snorts glancing down, “So you want to try? Have us be a thing?” 

“If you’re ready for that, then yeah,” Magnus sighs our, relief flooding through his figure when Alec simpers back, “Alexander?” 

“ _Yeah_?” He replies, inching closer. 

“I can’t take you seriously with drool on your chin like that,” He chuckles as Alec’s has immediately wipes it away, before grinning sheepishly. 

“Breakfast?” Magnus murmurs, leaning in just a bit. 

“First, I have to do something I’ve wanted to do forever,” Alec sussurates, closing the distance to press a kiss to Magnus lips. 

When they break apart, Magnus rises to his feet, taking Alec’s hand as he climbs the stairs. 

“So pancakes... and perhaps we open the door of the closet a bit?”

Magnus’ lips quirk up into a half smile, “You lead darling, I’ll follow you _wherever_ you go.” 


End file.
